Liquid-storage system.



H. E. GRANT.

LIQUID STORAGE SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.12, 1910.

Patented 0015.22, 1912.

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WITNESSES HORACE E. GRANT, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANA.

LIQUID-STORAGE SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

rammen oeaaaaea'e.

Application led October 12, 1910. Serial No. 536,729.

fo all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, HORACE E. GRANT, a resident of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Statev of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Liquid-Storage Systems, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being .had to the accompanying drawings, forming p-art of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of apparatus embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a detail longitudinal sectional view of the valve; Figs. 3 and l are transverse sections of the valve taken on the lines lll-lll and lV-IV, respectively, of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view of the check valve.

My invention has relation to a storage system for gasolene and other volatile liquids of that class wherein the liquid is forced out to the point of 'use by air pressure.

The object of the invention is to providey means of novel character for effecting and controlling the operation of the system, as hereinafter more fully described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which l have illustrated the preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 2 designates aclosed storage tank'of the desired capacity, .which is preferably buried in the ground, as indicated, and which is provided with an upwardly extending filling neck 3. This neck is preferably provided with a closing' cap il, which can be secured by a suitable lock 5. 6 designates a supplemental tank below the bottom of the main tank with a common separating wall 7. rlhis supplemental tank-is of much smaller capacity than the main tank, and is provided in order that liquid may be forced therefrom by the useof a smaller amount of air than would be ossible when forced directly from the main tank, especially after the main tank became partially emptied of its contents.

Liquid is admitted from the main tank into the supplemental tank through a valve casing or fitting 8 having one or more lateral inlet openings 9, communicating with the main tank and within a centrally arranged port 10 within the casing or fitting. A liquid outlet pipe 11 is connected tothe upper end of the fitting, and thence extends upwardly to a suitable valve casing 12, lo-

'cated above the ground at any convenient point. A short pipe section 13, open at both its upper, and lower ends, is secured in the lower end of the fitting 8, and extends downwardly into the supplemental tank.l The port 10 is surrounded by valve seat 14:, and is adapted to be closed by the upwardly seating check valve- 15, which is normally supported on a suitable post 16, or other support. This valve is of considerably smaller diameter than the interior of the casing, so as to leave a free liquid passage around it in both-its seated and unseated positions,l and liquid passages l? are provided at the sides of the valve seat, so that liquid can flow freely upwardly into the pipe 11 when the valve is mated. I The valve 14C is normally open, thus permitting liquid to flowfrom the main tank into the supplemental tank and maintain the latter tilled.-

18 is an air supply pipe which extends downwardly through the main tank into the supplemental tank and thence upwardly to the valve casing 12, abovereferred to, and through -said valve communicates with a pump 19, or other source of air pressure. `When air is admitted to the supplemental tank through the pipe 18, liquid is forced from the supplemental pipe upwardly through the pipe 13, thereby closing the check valve 14C. rlhe liow of liquid past this valve through t-he passages 17, and into the pipe 11, maintains the valve 14 firmly seat/ed and prevents Huttering thereof.

20 is a rotary valve of the turning plug type, which is seated in the casin 12, and whose stem is provided with a sultalole actuating lever or handle 21, whichv is preferably arranged to be secured bya suitable lock, 'as indicated at 22. This valve has at vone end portion an angular port 23, and at the other end portion another angular port 24. When the valve is in its normal closed position it cuts od all communication loe-l tween the liquid outletapipe 11 and the outlet hose connection 118,-througl1 which the liquid is delivered, and said valve also closes the communication between the. pipe 19B, leading to the air pump 19 and the air inlet pipe 18 (see Fig. 4). ln this position of the valve theport 2a connects the air inlet pipe 18 with avent pipe 25, which opens to the atmosphere at any desired pointand which gives a normally open vent for the supplemental-tank. The valve and its casing also have a longitudinally extending port 26, formed partl in the valve and partly in the casing (see igs. 2 and This port 26 in the closed position of the valve connects the pipe l1 with the passage 25a which leads to the vent pipe v2 5. The pipe 11 at the upper portion of the tank has a lateral vent opening l1", and this opening, together With the port 26, provides a normally open ,vent for the main tank. The valve also has a peripheral port 28 which, in the closed position ot the'valve, connects the outlet hose connection 1la with an escape passage 29 in the valve casing 12. This port 28 and escape opening 29 are provided so that as soon as the valve is closed and the hose connection is shutoft from the pipe 11, air vvill at once be admitted to the hose and Will torce out all liquid Which may be left therein. When the valve is moved to its open position, the port 23 connects the pipe 11 With the hose connection 1la and the port 24 connects the air pipe 18 With the pipe 19a, leading to the pump 19. lf the pump is now actuated, air is forced into the supplemental tank, thereby forcing the liquid upwardly through the pipe 11 and through the port 23 of the valve into the hose connection 11a.

Tt will be obvious that by one movement of a single valve of simple character, T am able to control the'operation of the system and at the same time to provide for proper venting, etc.

The features of the invention herein shown and described 4but not claimedptorm the subject matter of other pending applications.

It will be obvious that various changes may be made in the construction and a'rrangement of the several parts. Thus, the supplemental tank may be structurally separate from the main tank, but located at a lower level so that it can be kept filled by the gravity flow of liquid from the main tank; changes may be made in the pipe connections, and the details of the valve may be changed, all Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as dened in the appended claims.

T claim:

1. In a liquid storage and supply system, a storage tank, an outlet pipe leading from c the storage tank, an air pressure pipe leading into said tank from a source of air under pressure, and a single valve having ports which control both the outlet pipe and the air pressure pipe; said valve also having a port arranged to connect the outlet pipe with the atmosphere, and thereby admit. air to the outlet pipe adjacent to the discharge side of the valve When the valve is closed, substantially as described.

2. vTn a liquid storage and supply system a storage tank, an outlet pip leading from 'the storage tank, an air pressure pipe leading -into said tank from a source ot air under pressure, and a single valve havingports which control both the outlet pipe and the air pipe, the outlet pipe having a vent opening to connect With the interior of the tank, and said valve also having a port Which, in the closed position of the valve, connects the outlet pipe with the atmosphere and thereby forms a vent for the storage tank through said outlet pipe, substantially as described.

3. ln a liquid storage and supply system, a main tank, a supplemental tank arranged to be filled from the main tank, an outlet pipe leading from the supplemental tank, an air pressure pipe leading into the supplemental'tank, a source of air pressure, and a single valve having ports which control both the outlet pipe and the air pipe, the outlet pipe having a vent o ening communieating with the interior o the main tank, and said valve also having a port which in the closed positionof the valve connects the outlet pipe with the atmosphere and thereby forms a vent for the main tank through the said out-let pipe, substantially as described.

4. Tn a liquid storage and supply system, a main tank, ay supplemental tank arranged to be filled from the lmaintank, an outlet pipe leading from the supplemental tank, an air pressure pipe leading into the supplemental tank, a source of air under pressure, and a single valve having port-s which control both the outlet pipe and the air pipe, said valve also having a port which in its closed position connects the outlet pipe beyond and adjacent to the valve with the at- HURACE E. GRANT.

Witnesses:

Guo. H. lPAnMnLnn, H. M. Convvrn. 

